The objective of this study was to assess the effect of 0.05% sodium fluoride solutions containing 2.5% or 12.5% xylitol on the number of Streptococcus mutans in the human mouth. Fifty boys between 8 and 16 years of age participated in this double-blind crossover study. Of the original 50 boys, 33 finished the study. Participants were randomly divided into four groups. The following solutions were employed: placebo solution; 0.05% sodium fluoride solution; 0.05% sodium fluoride + 2.5% xylitol + 2% sor-bitol; 0.05% sodium fluoride + 12.5% xylitol + 2% sorbitol. Each solution was used for a 28-day period (20 mL/day, twice a day), with a 10-day washout period between solutions. There were no significant differences (P = 0.32) between the two xylitol-containing solutions (2.5% vs. 12.5%) concerning the number of Streptococcus mutans. However, there was a significant difference between these two xylitol-containing solutions and the sodium fluoride and placebo solutions (P <0.001). Our results suggest that the 0.05% sodium fluoride solutions containing either 2.5% or 12.5% xylitol caused a significant reduction in the number of Streptococcus mutans.